In the 1970's, we wore Prisoner of War (P.O.W.) bracelets. Today, we also keep others in our memories; Victims of Terrorism and Military Casualties. To keep the memory alive of those who have died at the hands of terrorists or fighting terrorism, we now also wear Memorial Bracelets.
People from all over the country are wearing bracelets from Memorial Bracelets located at www.memorialbracelets.com for their own very personal reasons. Below are some of the stories that we have received.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

I wear the Memorial Bracelet of USAF SSgt Oley Adams who perished in an explosion of unknown cause of a C-130 aircraft witnessed over water off the coast of Vietnam. His remains were never found. Sergeant Adams is from my home state, Missouri.

I am creating a Memorial of the Fallen for him on the official AIR FORCE: TOGETHER WE SERVED member's website at this link:

I would be grateful to anyone who wishes to provide any kind of information such as a photograph of him, and any or all other personal details of his life. They may contact me at bluehawkzoomie@yahoo.com

Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 15 March 1991 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK

About 30 minutes into the flight, as the aircraft was 43 miles northeast of Nha Trang, the crew of a naval gunboat cruising off the South Vietnam coastobserved the C130 explode and crash into the South China Sea. No hostile fire was observed, and the exact cause of the crash could not be determined. The vessel arrived at the crash scene only minutes after the impact and began an immediate search. The accident occurred so swiftly that it was assumed all aboard perished instantly. Some debris and wreckage have been recovered including parts of the aircraft and personal belongings. Only one body was recovered from the crash site. The others are listed as "Dead/Body Not Recovered."

Cobbs and Siegworth were pilots, and probably the co-pilots of the aircraft, although this information is not included in public data relating to the loss. Crew positions of the remaining crew members are not available.

Inexplicably, Cobbs' loss coordinates place him on the coast of South Vietnam a few miles northeast of Tuy Hoa, while the others aboard are listed as lost northeast of Na Trang. (This is a difference of about 55 miles.) Also, the entire crew of the aircraft has been assigned "Knowledge Category4", while the passengers are in "Knowledge Category 5". Category 5 includes those individuals whose remains have been determined to be non-recoverable. Category 4 includes individuals whose loss details, such as location and time, are unknown and who do not fit into any of the varying degrees of knowledge other than category 5. No reason for this discrepancy can be determined.

The Americans aboard the C130E are listed among the missing because their remains were never found to be returned to their homeland. They are among nearly 2500 Americans who remain unaccounted for from the Vietnam war. The cases of some, like the C130E crew, seem clear - that they perished and willnever be recovered, Unfortunately, many of the missing do not have such clear cut cases. Some were known captives; some were photographed in captivity. Some were in radio contact with search teams, while others simplydisappeared."

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

My (distant) cousin, PFC Justin W. Dreese, of the 82nd Airborne, US Army, was killed in a mortar attack in Iraq, on 2 Sept 2006. I wear my Memorial Bracelet to honor his sacrifice, and the other (almost) 5,000 heroes from our nation's military services since 2001, that have "paid the last full measure of devotion" by laying their lives upon the altar of freedom. I wear it constantly, as a officer of my veteran chapter that is out in the community constantly. These are pictures of me in Arlington Cemetary (section 60, where the newest heroes are laid to rest) on February 17, 2009.Wm. Dreese, Sgt. (ret) US Army Infantry3/41 Inf, 2nd Armored Div.Persian Gulf War, 90-91V.P., SouthEast Michigan Veterans of Modern Warfare, Chapter 4

Thursday, March 05, 2009

I wear my POW Bracelet to remember a fallen hero that stood up for something he believed in. When I decided to get a bracelet to honor someone that had served their country, I started wondering how I would choose.....there were so many people that had died, or were missing to choose from. I thought about it for a while and decided that the best way to decide was to look for someone that was local to my community, and the next criteria was that is was going to be someone that was MIA or KIA in the month of August in the year I was born. So, someone from the Houston, TX area that was MIA or KIA in August of 1968. I did not have to look far, he jumped right off the page at me. Col. William J. Thompson, USAF. I did some research on him, and found out that he went down in his F-4 Phantom in North Vietnam on a mission on August 1, 1968. They believe that he was shot down, but no wreckage or the Colonel were found. There is much more information that I found, but you get the idea. I was just being born into this world in August of 1968, and this Air Force Pilot was out fighting in a very un-popular war, but doing his job none the less.. What better way to honor him, than by wearing a bracelet bearing his name on a daily basis and sharing his story. I doubt Col. Thompson knew that he was inspiring people, but let me be the first to tell you that he did....without even knowing it!

Thanks you Colonel William J. Thompson for your courage and bravery under fire, thank you for your service and devotion to this country. may you rest in peace. Also, thank you to all who served in the Vietnam war, and the Gulf and Iraq wars, NONE of you are forgotten!